The scribing of straight lines or arcs of circles on sheet material can readily be accomplished using straight edges and compasses, respectively. However, the scribing of more complex shapes has generally required either a tracing device or its equivalent. Tracing devices have the inherent limitation that they are not adjustable, i.e., modification of the shape or scale of a complex curve requires a separate or modified tracing device. The creation of complex shapes, such as in woodworking, would be significantly enhanced if a versatile scribing device were available that was capable of scribing a wide range of complex curves such as ellipses, parabolas and hyperbolas.